CAMPUS LIFEwww.mhscurrent.com Feburary 2018 5

Sami deNicolaCOPY EDITOR

On Nov. 14, in a small community in Northern California, a gunman went to the local elementary school

armed with a semi-automatic gun, intending to kill. However, due to the quick actions of the staff, the lives of countless students and teachers were saved. A gunshot was heard minutes before school began. Children were still entering the building at Rancho Tehama Elementary School when the school secretary made a quick decision to lock down the school. Quickly she gathered all the students, teach-ers, aids, and parents into the buildings. Before everyone was safely inside, the gunman drove his truck through the school gate and jumped out of his car with his semi-automatic gun in hand. The head custodian heard the crash and looked around the cor-ner. The gunman shot at the custodian. Af-ter a few shots were let off, none hitting the custodian, the gun jammed. While the gun-man was fixing his weapon, the school staff got the last students safety inside and the school was locked down. Within seconds, all the doors were locked and students were on the floor, securely un-derneath desks and tables. The gunman at-tempted to get inside the buildings but all the doors were locked. Instead, the gunman unloaded bullets at the buildings for six long minutes. Bullets shattered the school windows and shot through the wooden walls. Eventually, “the gunman became frustrated and abandoned the school,” according to Phil Johnson, an assistant sheriff in Tehama County. Shortly after the gunman left, an adult in a classroom realized that a student had been

shot in the chest and leg. Others were in-jured by broken glass. But the injuries could have been much worse. If it were not for the quick actions of the school secretary and custodian, many students, teachers, and parents could have been killed. Schools across the country practice lock-down procedures. Common procedures in-clude; Building administrator(s) announces a lockdown; Students, staffs, and visitors are directed into the nearest classroom or secured space; Move outside classes to the primary evacuation site; Lock all classroom doors; People move people from the win-dows indoors, keep all students to be on the floor, and turn off the lights; Stay out of sight.; Do not respond to anyone at the door until the “all clear” is announced and ignore any fire alarms as the school will not be evacuated by this method during a lock-down. The State of California requires emergency training for all public schools. Malibu High School has lockdown and emergency train-ing. However, due to Malibu High School’s current renovation, procedures may need to be adjusted. Emergency’s can not be predicted, but they can be planned for. A student at Malibu High School, Ga-briella Williams, believes that “the event that took place overall was a terrible occur-rence, but [she] thinks it is incredible that the lockdown was able to so many young lives.” As can be seen by the horrific situ-ation that occurred at Rancho Tehama El-ementary School preparation for lockdowns and emergency training of the school staff, does save lives.

Safety Measures Save Lives

Jason Leow & Kristina SchmidtMANAGING EDITOR & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It’s flu season MHS. The recent Flu epidemic affecting Southern Califor-nia has struck Malibu High. Many stu-

dents have been absent to avoid further spread of the contagion. The outbreak is already responsible for multiple deaths in the country and has been more intense than the flu seasons of previous years. The flu season typically runs from Octo-ber through May and usually peaks in Feb-ruary, yet already, 42 people under the age of 65 have died in the state of California, possibly due to a new strain of the virus, H3N2. A strain of Influenza A, H3N2 tends to be more deadly than the other strains, and has been the strain that most people in California have caught. Our MHS nurse, Annie Ernst says that “It seems to be more than one strain of flu. People are getting sick really fast but they’re not recover-ing as fast as in previous years where as it would last 3 or 4 days. This year it’s last-ing one to two weeks and people have a tendency to want to come back too soon, they get dehydrated, then they’re weak and dizzy, then they have a relapse.” The outbreak affects Malibu High simi-larly. In just one 5-day school week, Yvonne had to send home over 100 sick students. Our nurse Annie Ernst advises students that “If you develop symptoms, fever, cough, stomach ache, stay at home, rest drink lots of fluids. Don’t overdo it with sports even though you’ve stayed home all day, that will take you back into having a relapse. Tylenol or advil is good for the aches and pains. If you develop a productive cough or severe vomiting that

you just can’t get resolved then you need to go to the doctor.” Signs to know when to stay home include “Fever over 100, pro-ductive cough, meaning you’re coughing up phlegm, severe vomiting, or diarrhea. You want to stay home at least 24 hours.” Nurse Ernst also advises drinking water and getting rest, as well as getting inocu-lated with the flu vaccination if you have not already done so. The best way to stay safe against the flu is by preventing it, which can be done in a number of different ways. On top of staying home when sick, another good ap-proach is vaccination. Although experts say that the flu shot this year may only be 30% effective, it can still reduce the sever-ity of symptoms for those who get the flu. Good hygiene is also imperative to stop-ping the spread of the virus. Make sure to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and dispose the tissue in the trash afterwards, stay away from people who are sick, and avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth. Constant hand washing is also advised, but if soap and water are unavailable, the alcohol based hand rubs in every teachers room are a viable alternative. The Flu outbreak should not be taken lightly, as even children who have always been healthy or who have had the flu be-fore can still be affected and get very sick from the virus. Malibu’s flu season ap-pears to be peaking, and what is important now is to protect both the school and the community. Make sure to practice clean habits, avoid infection, and most of all, stay healthy Malibu.

Influenza at MHS: The Do’s and Don’ts

CAMPUS LIFE www.mhscurrent.com 6 Feburary 2018

Victor Scoffi eSTAFF WRITER

For more than a year now, this school has had a mas-sive rat infestation, lead-

ing to school property being destroyed, which in turn has af-fected the quality of learning at Malibu High. The rats have used this opportunity provided by the constructions to settle inside of our classes. When construc-tion workers access classes, they sometimes leave doors open over night, which gave rats the possi-bility to settle inside this school’s buildings. Ms. Bowman-Smith, the pho-tography teacher at Malibu High School has had many problems with rats for several years. She says that “the rats have been a recurring problem that has been going on for years, and it’s been worst this year because the work-ers that do the constructions left my doors open.” On the subject of damaged school property, Ms. Bowman-Smith has said that in prevIous years, rats had caused over $6,000 in damage to cam-eras and camera bags as well as lenses that had to be repaired or replaced. So far this year, the rats have caused about $3,000 of damage in her class alone. Mr. Larsen, a science teacher, has also been affected by the rats. He tells us the story of his fi rst encounter with the rats: “Yeah when we were fi rst coming back to school, I walked in early in the morning and I saw rats racing across the fl oor. I knew there was a problem before but I hadn’t vi-sually seen it, I’d just seen the rat

droppings around”. He ended up catching thirteen rats in the traps he set up in his classroom. Not only have teachers been af-fected by the rats, but the students’ quality of learning is equally im-pacted. Mattia DeCarlo, a tenth grader at MHS says that the rats have left a stench in Mr. Kertesz’s science class, which prevents him from focusing on his learning. Recently, an email the school district sent out to parents and staff, announced that, in order to combat the rat problem, they have been performing exclu-sion work in several areas of the school including the kitchen, the auditorium, both of the gyms, admin bungalows and “multiple other areas”. Rodent proof trash cans have also been installed, and trees have been trimmed in order to reduce the rats’ habitat. Mul-tiple trap systems have also been installed on rooftops and other strategic locations. Overall, even if the rat situation has not com-pletely been controlled, people are actively working to resolve the issue.

Ratnarok at MHS

Whitney Clarfi eldFEATURES EDITOR

What is your earliest memory? “I remember being four-ish and going to the beach and getting glass stuck in my foot. Specifi -cally I remember getting the glass out.”

Where did you go to college, and what was your major? “I went to the Berkelee School of Music, and stayed for two years. I did mostly prerequisite classes before switching to my math major.”

Favorite class at college? “My favorite class was actually very much based in math, which should have tipped me off to the fact that I wanted to go into math. It was a class about acoustics. Oh, and also a class about Afro-Cuban percussion.”

How long have you taught? “10 years overall, 9 at MHS.”

Favorite thing about teaching? “I love introducing new ideas, sparking inspiration, and chang-ing preconceived notions that students have about themselves.”

Least favorite thing about teach-ing? “I don’t like when kids put zero effort into my class. I can only do so much. Also, when kids are generally just mean, whether it be to me or their peers.”

Favorite class to teach? “Calculus AB, but since I don’t teach that this year, I’ll have to say BC.”

What’s one thing you didn’t ex-pect about teaching? “I didn’t expect the connections that you can make with students in such a short amount of time. It’s a continuous hello and good-bye.”

What subject would you be the worst at teaching? “Art or photo.”

What subject would you teach if not something in STEM? “Music or PE.”

What would you be doing if not teaching? “I’d probably be teaching at a college. I went to school to be a recording engineer, but that was more of a high school dream than something that actually fi ts my life and me.”

What are your outside hobbies? “I play the drums, the guitar and I spend time with my family.”

Scarlett CravenCAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

When students came back from winter break they were greet-

ed with three new, high tech water refi ll stations, adding to the refi ll stations that were put in when the bathroom’s were renovated earlier in the year. The new ma-chines, called “Flowater,” allow users to refi ll their water bottles throughout the school day, while the machine reports how many water bottles it’s saving from the landfi ll. The new machines were greeted with curiosity and excite-ment, but also the question of why did we get more water refi ll machines? The Flowater system is more advanced than other refi lling sta-tions, claiming that its purifi ca-tion process allows ordinary tap water to be more purifi ed than any other water refi lling compa-ny. The system has a seven step purifi cation process that includes a sediment fi lter, a carbon fi lter, and advanced osmosis to purify the water, activated oxygen, al-kalinizing and added electrolytes to improve the water and lastly, a coconut carbon fi lter to fi nish the process. Flowater says that all of these processes make the water and the planet healthier. This ma-chine could help keep students off other drinks like soda and sports drinks while giving them top tier

water quality. The company also claims that because their water goes through the seven step pro-cess it will be more hydrating while giving more health benefi ts to students because of the alkan-ized quality. The machines were a hit with students who wanted to keep hy-drated and help save the planet. For years at Malibu High, there has been a lot of talk about the water quality of the fountains, with no one using them because of their concerns about it. This led to students either bringing water bottles from home but not being able to refi ll them or stu-dents having to buy water bottles from the water machine, costing them money and contributing to the plastic waste. Some teach-ers like Ms. Ryan or Mr. Kertesz would charge students a low price to refi ll their water bottle or buy a plastic water bottle. Many teach-ers and parents have wanted to install these machines, but were met with resistance from the dis-trict. Finally in Dec. 2017, parents were able to convince the Super-intendent Ben Drati to approve the machines and they would be installed over the break so that staff and students could use them as soon as possible. The ma-chines were a happy victory for the teachers and members of the board who have wanted them for

years and had the plans rejected in spring 2017, but were not able to get them through the board. Others wanted them because of the health advantages of drink-ing water, especially of a higher quality. Those who were against it felt that it would cost too much money to install, at around $3,500 per machine and about $175 to replace the fi lter, and questioned why the more expensive ma-chines were needed when there were water fountains and cheaper refi ll stations on campus. Nonetheless, the machines have proved to be a great addition to the campus. Senior Senna Joshi said, “I really like them and I think they offer a good quality of water” in regards to the refi llers. Those who were vocal in getting the refi ll stations at school, in-cluding Jennifer deNicola, Eliza-beth Villalobos, and Ms. Ryan say that kids that drink more water throughout the day will be healthier and may even per-form better in school as a result. Flowater also claims that through the alkaline minerals, electro-lytes, and oxygenation, students will be energized for the school day after drinking the water. The new Flowater refi ll stations are located in the old gym, be-tween the boys and girls locker rooms, and down by the water fountain by Mr.Tucker’s room, so go try them out for yourself!

Futuristic Flowater

Bowen BrockSTAFF WRITER

Journalism is a sixth period elective where students write articles for the school

newspaper. The student-run class is composed of many editors that spend lots of time revising ar-ticles the staff writes, which are then later published in the school newspaper, The Current. Journalism is a very fun class and it is also great for people who have early outs. If you are part of a club such as Mock Trial or if you are involved in sports, the class is great, because during the actual class, some free time is given to work, and for the most part, the articles that are written are written at home. The class itself is a pass or fail, so it all depends on whether or not you do your work. The articles have a very wide variety of topics that anyone can write about, but there are certain restrictions on articles, for

example if it goes against school policies. Katie Loftus, a sophomore staff writer for the Current, says that “the class is a cool way to express your opinions and have your voice be heard by the school.” When asked if she rec-ommended that people at Malibu High School take the class, she said “I think that anyone who has an interest in writing or just simply wants to share their opin-ions with others should strongly consider taking the class.” Tommy Averna, another sophomore at MHS, was asked what he has heard about the class and said, “I understand that the class writes articles for the school newspaper around once everyone one to two months.” When asked if he would consider taking the class, he responded with “I was actually supposed to take the class, but for some reason I was switched out of it. I really wanted to take the class because it seemed like an overall fun class.” Kendall Reeder, another sophomore who attends MHS, said that she “would really want to join Journalism, it looks like a fun class and I also love writing. I am going to take the class next year and look forward to it.” I, personally, think that the Journalism class is a very fun, in-teractive class that is convenient for students with early outs and can also improve your writing skills.

Why You Should Take Journalism

Introducing Mr. Wadsworth

FRESH FLOWING WATER - This FlowWater dispenser is in front of Mr. Tucker’s room next to the water fountain. Feel free to grab some fi l-tered, cold water!